tyrannize

verb

Definition of tyrannizenext
as in to oppress

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tyrannize There would be plenty to celebrate if Iranians successfully replaced the Islamist regime that has tyrannized them for 45 years. — Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 18 June 2025 The driving force behind these antics is a tyrannizing uncertainty. — Andrew Kay, Harpers Magazine, 28 May 2025 As a simple but stable system of cryptographic property rights, Bitcoin is a digital, modern-day solution to the problems the U.S. Constitution sought to solve: protecting us from humans who seek to tyrannize us. — Edan Yago, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024 The mechanics of Shakespeare’s plot — unfolding first in rigid, tyrannized Sicilia and then in pastoral, sunnier Bohemia — hinge on our rooting for the characters Leontes so cruelly censures. — Peter Marks, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023 Saddam Hussein tyrannized Iraq for 12 years after his troops were routed in Kuwait in 1991. — Daniel Treisman, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2022 In the process, these majority ethnic coalitions tyrannize and marginalize other groups, particularly those that are not members of the coalition. — John Mukum Mbaku, Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2021 In Portsmouth, Virginia, cops have been systematically using their state power to tyrannize political enemies. — Alex Pareene, The New Republic, 28 Aug. 2020 In such societies, counters Madison, a majority will tyrannize the minority. — Corey Robin, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tyrannize
  1. oppress
  2. dominate
  3. dictate
  4. domineer
  5. regulate
Verb
  • Man oppressed woman legally, economically, socially, educationally, morally, professionally and religiously.
    — Brian DeLay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
  • Your structure sorts the whole world into two boxes, oppressor and oppressed.
    — Joyce Kamanitz, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026
Definition of oppress
Verb
  • Japan’s monarchy has for centuries maintained male-only succession, which is on-brand for a deeply patriarchal society where men dominate other spheres of life such as business and politics.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Highs are still projected to reach the upper 90s, with mostly sunny skies dominating the forecast.
    — The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Sun, 13 July 2026
Definition of dominate
Verb
  • Not everyone with high levels of amyloid will progress to dementia, just as having tau in the brain does not dictate cognitive impairment later in life, Buckley said.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • The jet stream – the ultimate arbiter of day-to-day weather – dictates where warmer air and cooler air are allowed to settle across North America.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of dictate
Verb
  • While independent venues shuttered during the pandemic, venue domineer Live Nation — which can much more easily close its doors for soundproofing or for an infectious outbreak — posted its best years in 2022 and 2023.
    — Katie Thornton, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2024
  • When her father Philip dies, Rachel’s domineering mother, Carol, played by Ormond (see first look image), driven by the belief that Philip’s lifeless body will revive itself, forces her daughter to live with the corpse.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 13 June 2023
Definition of domineer
Verb
  • In 1972, ordinary Californians circulated petitions, knocked on doors, and rode bicycles down the coast, rallying support for Proposition 20, which aimed to regulate coastal development.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
  • The Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulates those markets, where people can trade contracts based on whether a future event will happen.
    — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 July 2026
Definition of regulate

Browse Nearby Words

tyrannically
tyrannize
tyrannized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tyrannize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tyrannize. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tyrannize

Nglish: Translation of tyrannize for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of bibelot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All